BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition February 2019

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SHRAPNEL CONAN total conquest city 36 | FEBRUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE Liverpool, England, may be nicknamed “the Pool of Life,” but it was the primordial ooze of a million down-tuned guitars that gave birth to the grinding sludge metal band Conan. Emerging from the estuaries of Merseyside in 2006, the stone-shattering three-piece has grown to become one of the most revered and recognizable artists on the Napalm Death record label. Most recently, the lumbering fuzz giant unleashed its fourth studio LP, Existential Void Guardian. A melodic yet bludgeoning answer to 2016’s Revengeance, Conan’s latest onslaught continues to benefit from the grounding presence of bassist/vocalist Chris Fielding. The producer of several of the band’s previous recordings, Fielding has been adding his gravitas to the sonic frenzy generated by guitarist/vocalist Jon Davis and drummer Johnny King. As Davis confirms, the complex riffs and vexing grooves of Existential Void Guardian foretell a new epoch in the history of Conan. “I think the main thing was how heavy it came out and how the songs took shape in an almost effortless manner. We had quite a disjointed 12 months leading up to the recording of the album and there was a risk the album would suffer, but I’m very happy that we put out a cool recording in spite of it all.” Rising above the din, Conan's first recording featuring drummer Johnny King (Dread Sovereign, Malthusian) stands out from the crowd with Davis delivering his bloodstained lyrics with a poetic passion that runs hot and cold. “I think my lyrics have usually been kind of concise and I think it works, because it doesn’t give too much away,” says Davis. “It helps the listener use their imagination, which is absolutely what we want them to do while listening to the music. I ‘defo’ use colloquialisms in normal conversations but try not to do it in the lyrics. I find that would be a bit limiting for the tracks and I’d hate to make myself cringe further down the line!” One thing Existential Void Guardian has in common with the trio’s earlier works is a strong sense of altered reality, if not all-out fantasy. After hours of exhaustive research, Davis concludes that Conan’s back catalogue is best paired with the following video games: “Horseback Battle Hammer (2010 Throne Records)–Rastan (Commodore 64 version), Monnos (2012 Burning World Records)– Quake (PC version), Blood Eagle (2014 Napalm Records)–Skyrim (PS4 version), Revengeance (2016 Napalm Records)–Renegade (Amiga version), Existential Void Guardian (2018 Napalm Records)–Karateka (C64 VERSION).” It’s only a matter of time before the industry comes knocking, especially now that Robert E. Howard’s beloved Conan character has returned to Marvel Comics and the public eye. BY CHRISTINE LEONARD “Hold on, I’m just about to put a down payment on our new tour bus,” Davis jests, predicting an upsurge of interest in the necromancer-smashing barbarian and the band’s namesake. But seriously, you just never know where the group’s doomy Cimmerian sounds are going to turn up. “I remember being stood at Islington MIll in Salford in 2010. I had just watched Earth play and I walked back into the live room to watch them pack down. As I stood near the exit, Laurie Goldston starts talking to me— just said hi really—and we got chatting about Nirvana. Laurie played cello with Nirvana. As we did that, the DJ starts playing “Satsumo” off Horseback Battle Hammer. It was pretty weird, but I told her it was my band and it was cool timing. I hear Conan in some places, I guess a cool place to hear us would be over the PA at a huge venue but other people pay for that privilege.” Prepared to set sail from the safe haven of SkyHammer Studio in the Cheshire countryside, Conan is primed for a run of tour dates that will bring the terror and triumph of Existential Void Guardian to thresholds from Vancouver, BC to Austin, TX. So, it’s time to get your fur loincloth out of storage. Experience the might of Conan Feb. 25 at Temple (Edmonton) and Feb. 26 at The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (Calgary). CLUTCH from Beale Street to oblivion Putting their own stamp on America’s rock-metal soundscape since 1991, Clutch is a four-man wrecking crew with a cultish international fanbase and a reputation for waging psychic warfare on their foes. Armed with their blistering new album Book of Bad Decisions as a roadmap, vocalist/guitarist Neil Fallon, bassist Dan Maines, guitarist Tim Sult and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster are emerging from the humid subtropics of the state of Maryland for a mid-winter tour that threatens to break the ice and melt the poles. Blast tyrants who rock the Earth with a barrage of whiskey-fueled anthems, their nefarious live shows recall the golden age of gate-breaking icons like Thin Lizzy and Motörhead. Combining classic trappings of hard rock, blues-rock and heavy metal with their own modern worldview, the quartet projects a bravado that is entirely genuine and utterly well earned. Megastars of the fuzz rock universe, Clutch makes no apologies for their sinful southern style. Better to give offense than sit on the fence! Catch the power and spunk of Clutch’s ‘Book of Bad Decisions Tour’ March 3 at MacEwan Hall (Calgary), March 4 at The Ranch Roadhouse (Edmonton) and March 6 at Burton Cummings Theatre (Winnipeg) SHRAPNEL
After a slow start to the year for touring acts, February brings the heat! The most depressing month? Not if you are a fan of live metal! Friday, Feb. 1 delivers an all-ages party night at Tubby Dog with the Kataplexis CD release featuring Gorgos, Feeding and Sawlung! The following night, Dickens Pub is throwing a sizzling EP release party for Sadistic Embodiment, who will be backed by a diverse mix of bands; Citizen Rage, Quietus and T.H.C. One of the first big tours of year rolls through Western Canada in the dead of winter. Brave souls from the southern U.S. (the Carolinas and Louisiana) have decided to sample our weather. The fools! Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar, Weedeater, and Mothership will be at The Starlite Room in Edmonton on Feb. 4 and The Marquee Beer Market in Calgary on Feb. 5. Good luck, dudes! Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel! Speaking of big wheels, diesel-fueled rockers Monster Truck rumble into The Palace on Wednesday, Feb. 13.. Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us and what better way to say, “I love This Month In METAL you!” than with a Feb14. date night at The Blind Beggar Pub for the Classic Rock Metal Jam? Your charming hosts Sharkskin will keep the spirit of romance alive all evening long! On Friday, Feb. 15, Big Nate Productions, in conjunction with the Calgary Beer Core, presents Metal for a Cause: A Show for Melanie Sinneave. This fundraiser features the talents of Blackest Sin, Caveat and Greybeard. Admission is a mere $10 donation at the door and you could be taking home silent auction items, cool prizes, warm fuzzies and more! Saturday, Feb, 16, the Brass Monkey presents arguably the heaviest show of the month with death metal pundits Path to Extinction, Detherous, Animosity and Skalds of Surt slated to put on a scathing mid-winter show. Can’t get enough of that heavy metal lovin’? Grab yer black cowboy hat and drop by the County Line Saloon on Feb, 16 for Valentines Schmalentines... more like METALTines! Staged by Voxx Promotions this metalcore giggity-gig stars Metavore, For a Life Unburdened, Born For Tomorrow, Syryn and Liandra. Embrace your inner Viking with Heavy Metal Axe throwing at BATL on Feb. 17. This all-ages event combines metal music and adult beverages and axe throwing…a winning recipe in our books! What could possibly go wrong? The annual Wacken Metal Battle will continue all across Western Canada this month with bouts planned for Feb. 7 and 21 at The Starlite Room–Temple in Edmonton, Feb. 9 at The Black Cat Tavern in Saskatoon and Feb. 20 at Dickens Pub in Calgary. Check www. ashermediarelations.com for full lineups and schedules as they become available. Feeling lucky, punk? Throw your hat in the ring for The Mosh Lotto on Feb. 22 at the County Line Saloon. This raffle-and-riff combo welcomes a huge line-up of hardcore talents including Chaos Being, No More Moments, After the Prophet, Chained by Mind, Iron Tusk, Dystonic Waves, Snakepit, Vexterity, Father Moon and Sicks. All ticket holders and, more importantly the bands, have a chance to win $649 cash by the end of the night! On Feb. 23, The Red Room in Vancouver will be hosting the World Premier gig of Imonolith, the Western Canadian all-star band featuring members of Threat Signal, Devin Townsend Band and Fear Factory (to name a few). Watch for them to visit Calgary on March 1 at Dickens Pub and Edmonton at The Starlite Room–Temple on March 2, for their second and third-ever shows! Gird your loins in fur and prepare your soul for battle—Liverpool, England’s CONAN is about to thunder across the west. After plundering The Starlite Room–Temple in Edmonton on Feb. 25, they will head down to Calgary where BeatRoute Magazine will present them on Feb. 26 at The Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club alongside Culled and Gone Cosmic! All you classic rock snowbirds can flock to The Grey Eagle Casino on Feb. 27 to warm up to the familiar sounds of Foreigner and their nostalgic Cold As Ice Tour. Treading that fine line between Feb. and March, American rock-metal gods Clutch are bringing their grand Book of Bad Decisions Tour to Canada. Catch them with Big Business and Inspector Cluzo in Calgary on March 3 and The Ranch Roadhouse in Edmonton on March 4. Stay frosty, everyone! • JOSHUA WOOD SHRAPNEL BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 | 37
Page 1: BLOCK HEATER RETURNS WITH SNOTTY NO
Page 4: PULSE $10 Date Night returns to Stu
Page 7 and 8: EXPOSURE February’s fantastic pho
Page 9 and 10: COLLECTING DETECTIVE delightfully w
Page 11 and 12: ASSASSINATING THOMPSON the art of s
Page 13: FILM First Man Bad Times at the El
Page 16 and 17: THE MOON RUNNERS raking in the righ
Page 18: SEPTEMBRYO not all nightmares are b
Page 21 and 22: 4th or 5th DANIEL THE SECOND COMING
Page 27: edmonton extra Petunia Duo w/ Natha
Page 30 and 31: KYLE WATSON new sensation comes thi
Page 32 and 33: ROOTS DAN MANGAN every morning’s
Page 34 and 35: SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS building bridg
Page 39 and 40: musicreviews Homeshake Helium Sinde
Page 41: Later, the band touches on relation
Page 45 and 46: SEX A nice starter kit for those cu
Page 47: ROOTS BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2019 |

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